Gary Hocking called a premature halt to his meteoric bike career in 1962. He felt Formula One was a safer option... Paul Fearnley recalls a talent that shone brightly, but much too briefly
It was a remarkable opening lap of a remarkable circuit. Rhodesia's Gary Hocking had been drawn at six, his MV Agusta team-mate Mike Hailwood at three and his good friend, Honda's Aussie charger Tom Phillis,...

Adenau, Germany, May 27th.
THE A.D.A.C. 1,000-kilometre race, run over 44 laps of the famous Nurburgring, is fast developing a character of its own, in as much as it is becoming a super International Clubman's event, or stepping-stone for the amateur driver of sports or G.T. cars to branch out into the world of serious motor racing. With its 22 kilometres to the lap the Nurburgring can easily...

Owen racing organisation BRM versus Team Lotus
For the two drivers who battled out the 1962 Formula 1 World Championship to its nail-biting last-round conclusion, the year had started very differently. While Jimmy Clark was dominating a south African Formula 1 tour in baking sunshine, graham hill and his equally roustabout friend Peter Jopp were slithering down to Monaco over ice and snow in the...

He is the farmer turned privateer racer who spent years touring Europe, and winning in a succession of great sports cars. Today 'Piper green' Ferraris still grace historic events
In motor sport these days, the term ‘privateer’ has fallen into disuse. Outside the professional teams, most serious racers either have access to much personal wealth – their own or somebody else’s – or a commercial...

Runaway win for Clark (Lotus-Climax)
TARPORLEY, September 1st
The Gold Cup race at Oulton Park attracted a good field, in spite of no support from foreign works teams, and twenty-three cars lined up on the grid, headed by Ginther (B.R.M.) in pole position with a practice lap in 1 min. 38.6 sec. This had been equalled by Clark (Lotus 25) and also on the front row were G. Hill (B.R.M.) and McLaren...

At the drivers' briefing before the start of the Six-Hour Race B.R.S.C.C. Secretary Nick Syrett cast a doleful eye towards the empty car parks and said to the assembled drivers : "Enjoy yourselves boys and girls because it looks like the first and last time you'll have the chance." This may have been unduly pessimistic as the crowd did fill out during the day, but the final figures could have...

250GT0 — Chassis 3767GT
Soon-to-become Ferrari devotee David Piper took delivery of this car (original registration MO 79460) in July 1962 and put it to immediate use, debuting it at the Brands Hatch Peco Trophy (6 August) before finishing fifth in Goodwood's TT two weeks later. On 2 September he crashed at Crystal Palace, but a fortnight later finished fourth in the Tour de France, co-driven by...

That’s what the papers at first called the blond kid from Farnham when he swapped a pre-war Riley for one of Cooper’s latest single-seaters and began to make waves
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Graham Hill’s Formula 1 World Championship title win in the determinedly all-British BRM. It also sees the 50th anniversary of Jim Clark’s first World Championship-qualifying Grand Prix wins in...

David Piper was one of the most successful privateers of the 1960s. His green cars stood out then – and he’s still racing them, in the same livery. Rob Widdows talks to him about his long career. The repeatable parts, that is
Photography: LAT
The man is a tidal wave of anecdotes spanning more than half a century of motor racing. Some consider him a lovely man. Some consider him an old rascal....

Graham Hill and B.R.M. Clinch World Championships
EAST LONDON, Saturday, December 29th, 1962.
The 1962 Formula One World Championship season closed with the 9th South African Grand Prix at East London. Although this is the 9th South African Grand Prix, it is the first Championship event in South Africa and the most important International event yet staged in this pleasant country. East London is...